The distinctive architecture of Rashtrapati Bhavan combines many elements of Mughal and Sultanate architecture. But it is the Sanchi Stupa, an icon of ancient India, that leaves the most visible stamp on Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Great men often had selfless partners resolutely supporting them in pursuit of their dreams. This is the story of one such woman, Janaki Ammal, wife of the celebrated mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan.

At a time when most of us think that the current corona epidemic is the worst ever, let’s not forget that smallpox in the 1950s was probably much worse. Few remember though, because a whole generation (and their parents) have grown up in an environment that has been largely free of scourges. During the 1960s and 70s India conducted massive campaigns to defeat seemingly incurable diseases – smallpox, polio, tuberculosis, measles, malaria and others. Hopefully, corona too will one day be a notch on the belt!

Most of us know who built the Qutb Minar. The Delhi Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak commissioned it in 1199 as a tower to commemorate the victory of his master and mentor, Mohammed Ghori. He died before he could complete it; therefore, his successor, Iltutmish completed it 20 years later. Iltutmish named it after his own master and predecessor, Qutb-ud-din Aibak. Did he, really? Some historians think that Iltutmish had a different Qutb-ud-din in mind when he christened the tower: Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki! [Detour: While this story is about the ‘Other Qutb’,  we have another story about the ‘Other Minar’ at the […]